The disclosed invention relates generally to a medical device and more particularly to a ureteral stent having an agent configured to visually alter the urine of a patient.
Known ureteral stents are typically placed within a urinary tract of a patient such that one end portion of the ureteral stent is located in either a kidney or a ureter of the patient and another end portion of the ureteral stent is located in a bladder of the patient. Some known ureteral stents include retention members configured to help retain the ureteral stent in position within the patient. Known ureteral stents are typically positioned within the urinary tract of the patient by placing a guidewire within the patient, sliding the ureteral stent on the guidewire, and then forcing the ureteral stent along the guidewire into a desired position within the patient using a push cannula. After an appropriate period of time, the ureteral stent is removed from the patient, such as by pulling the ureteral stent from the urinary tract of the patient.
A problem associated with the use of such known ureteral stents is that a patient may forget the stent is disposed within the patient's body, and/or the patient may delay returning to a physician to have a stent removed after the appropriate period of time. When this situation occurs, the stent may become encrusted or otherwise blocked, causing a loss of fluid passage through the stent and possible loss of kidney function. Thus, it would be desirable for a stent to provide an indicator to alert the patient that it is time for the stent to be removed.
A recent development in stents is to form the stent from a biodegradable material, such that the stent dissolves or degrades in situ in the patient's urinary tract. This avoids the need to remove the stent. It would be desirable to have a way to monitor the status of the stent, such as whether the stent is still present in the patient's urinary tract.